Numerous examples of furniture and like articles intended to support a human body in various positions above a floor or supporting surface are known. Conventional beds, chairs, stools, and the like are examples. While conventional furniture acceptably achieves this supporting function, it suffers from a serious drawback when it is not providing the above-mentioned supporting function. Specifically, many situations require the use of furniture in confined areas. Thus, when the furniture is not in use, it wastes a scarce resource of floor space.
In an attempt to address the problem of preserving floor space when, for example, a bed is not in use, prior art devices utilize receiving structures located in a ceiling or wall. In order to use such a bed, the bed pivots or is otherwise lowered from its receiving structure to the floor. When such a bed is not being used, it pivots or is otherwise raised into its receiving structure so that the floor space previously occupied by the bed may then be used for other purposes. Thus, such receiving structure and bed systems permit the dual use of the scarce resource of floor space.
While such receiving structure and bed systems may generally operate to achieve the dual use of floor space, they are often viewed by their users as being an unacceptable solution to the floor space problem. For example, such receiving structure and bed systems tend to be undesirably expensive. Moreover, a receiving structure of such a system tends to be so massive that it must firmly and structurally attach to a wall or ceiling to prevent compromising a user's safety. Furthermore, when such a receiving structure structurally attaches to a wall or ceiling, it becomes a fixture of the building in which it is used. Thus, such a receiving structure and bed system is installed only at great expense and trouble. And, once installed, it often cannot be removed when the building occupants leave the premises. Accordingly, the overall expense is so great that such systems fail to provide a viable solution to floor space problems.
Inflatable furniture provides a relatively inexpensive furniture option. However, conventional inflatable furniture fails to provide an adequate solution to the floor space problem. Specifically, in order to provide increased floor space inflatable furniture must be deflated and stored when not in use. Subsequently, such inflatable furniture must be re-inflated before it can be used again. This deflation and re-inflation process consumes such a large amount of time when implemented on a daily schedule that the use of inflatable furniture fails to provide a workable solution to floor space problems. Moreover, such inflatable furniture often requires the use of an air blowing apparatus for inflation. Such apparatus represents an unwanted expense and provides yet another storage problem.
In addition, items which tend to levitate, such as lighter-than-air balloons, are known. Such items may be filled with a lighter-than-air gas, such as hot air or helium, so that buoyancy within the atmosphere tends to cause levitation. However, such conventional items fail to exhibit characteristics which allow them to successfully operate as furniture. Consequently, such items fail to provide any solution to the floor space problem.